That's essentially what organizers of 'El Gordo,' Spain's annual
Christmas lottery, decided to do to promote ticket sales this year.
In a commercial that has been playing non-stop for the past month, and
which has become a laughing stock across the country, singers Marta…
Believe it or not, Pope Francis has been honored by being depicted with
his pants down (or in his case, robe up) taking a dump.
It's all part of the long-standing 'caganer' ('crapper') tradition in
Barcelona and the Spanish region of Catalonia, as well as in Valencia,
the…
The 100th birthday of Carmen Amaya, one of the legends of flamenco dance and song, will be observed in 2013. Barcelona, the native city of the legendary 'Queen of the Gypsies,' is already beginning to celebrate the centennial with the opening this weekend of the 1st annual Carmen Amaya Festival, organized by theTablao del Carmen, one of the venues in the city's open air museum Pueblo Español. The event features guitarist Tomatito, singers Remedios Amayaand Montse Cortes, and flamenco dancer Manuela Carrasco, winner of Spain's National Dance Award in 2007.
Amaya never formally studied dance or voice, but began from the age of 4 as a street performer with her father. From the streets of Barcelona, she went on to perform on the city's stages before moving on to conquer the nation's capital, Madrid. When the Civil War broke out in 1936 she left Spain and began traveling and performing in the great cities of the world, including Lisbon, London, Paris, Rio de Jainero, Buenos Aires, Santiago, Caracas, Bogotá, Havana, Mexico City, and New York, where she debuted at Carnegie Hall. She went on to appear in Hollywood movies and in 1944 performed at the White House for President Franklin D. Roosevelt. After a decade abroad she returned to Spain as a wealthy international star. She continued to perform and travel the world over, including one more visit to the White House, this time at the invitation of President Harry S. Truman in 1953. Ten years later Amaya died of kidney failure at only 50 years of age. Speaking to the newspaper El Periódico about this weekend's tribute, Tomatito, who is a world renowned musical artist himself, said that he hopes to demonstrate the 'connection' his playing has with the wild fury of Amaya.
"My guitar is connected to her. I am a Gypsy, just like Carmen."
Describing her as the greatest of dancers, Tomatito recalled stories that when people from his native Andalusia learned that unlike them she did not originate from the birthplace of flamenco, but rather from the northern region of Catalonia, the bemused attitude was usually one of, "Well, we all have skeletons in our closets."
Until I moved to Spain and stumbled across some of Nat King Cole's Spanish language recordings, I had not known that he recorded songs other languages. In fact, he recorded three albums in Spanish: “Cole Español” (1958), “A Mis Amigos” (1959) and “More Cole Español” (1962) and at leas one additional song (“Tu Eres Tan Amable”- “You're So Nice”), which was posthumously released in 1983 on an album called album "Unreleased."
Although Spanish was the only other language he recorded entire albums in, he also recorded songs in Portuguese, Italian, French and at least one non-Romance language -- Japanese! And he did all of this without speaking anything but English! Instead he did what Tejana singer Selena did before she learned to speak Spanish – he memorized the songs phonetically.
His daughter Carole Cole said in an on-line chat with fans of her father that, “my father didn't actually speak Spanish. But...he recorded three albums in Spanish which he learned phonetically. He certainly had a deep admiration for Latin culture. And a number of friends from Mexico, Brazil and Cuba. In fact his manager, Caroles Gastel, was Cuban.”
She also agreed with a fan who claimed that Cole was one of the first English speaking singers to record in Spanish by adding, “this was another area in which I believe my father was a pioneer. You might be interested to know that in his travels throughout Latin America he was received with opened arms and an enormous amount of affection. For instance, when he first toured Brazil it seemed the population of Rio de Janeiro turned out en masse throwing roses at his feet to walk on, and he and my mother were asked to stay with the then-president of Brazil in the Brazilian palace. It's also interesting that he attempted to record in a number of other languages which needless to say, further endeared him to other cultures. He recorded Autumn Leaves in Japanese, which you can see in the documentary. I believe he recorded a tune here or there in Italian, French. And I imagine he would have done more in this area if he'd had the time.”
To me the history behind these recordings is a testament to Nat King Cole's ability to break down barriers. He obviously had to fight racism all of his life, and perhaps part of the reason he wanted to record in other languages was to extend that fight on some level. Two years before his first Spanish language recording he went to Cuba to perform at the Tropicana. He had wanted to stay at Havana's best hotel, the Hotel Nacional de Cuba , but was told it was fully booked. Although he discovered that he had been lied to and that in fact the Nacional had a White's only policy, he did not leave the island, but decided to honor his contract.
His engagement at the Tropicana ended up being so successful that he agreed to return the next year. In the mean time he applied himself to adding Spanish songs to his repertoire, with the help of Armando Romeu, a Cuban musician and arranger. After another successful appearance at the Tropicana in 1957, he again traveled to Havana in 1958 to record “Cole Español,” which was the first step towards a string of Spanish language hits – Acercate Más, Ansiedad, Aquellos Ojos Verdes, Perfidia, Quizás, Quizás, Quizás, etc.
The result was that long before the likes of Julio or Enrique Iglesias, Nat King Cole became the first truly "international" singing star. Today he is known in Spanish speaking countries as a singer of English and Spanish songs – and the Hotel Nacional de Cuba has a special “Nat King Cole Corner,” with a bust of the singer and a jukebox full of his songs. (See photo above.)
I've met many Spaniards who are familiar with these Spanish recordings, either because the songs were popular when they were young or because they discovered them through their parents or grandparents. One of my students remembers hearing the songs as a child and does a perfect imitation of Nat King Cole, including his pronounced gringo accent. Even I sometimes have to smile when I hear how strong his North American accent is – and I have a pretty strong one myself.
Despite the non-native accent, the songs are lovely, with lush arrangements and, of course, that beautiful, buttery baritone. As the title one of his songs goes, Fantástico!
Saludos amig@s,
Carloz
P.S. Enjoy the 3 songs from YouTube! / ¡Disfruta las 3 canciones desde YouTube!
One of my favorite Spanish singer-songwriters, Alex Ubago, recently collaborated with Craig David on a Spanish translation of David's 2001 hit song Walking Away. The result is a bilingual version that is being released as a duet on David's Greatest Hits CD in Spanish speaking countries.
In an interview with them that I read in today's ¡Que!, they claimed to have communicated in Spanglish while working on the new version. David said that was because he really only knows a little Spanish. However, Ubago added, "That is until he sees a pretty [Spanish-speaking] girl, when he lets loose with perfect Castellano."
Both singer-songwriters are 27 year old Grammy winners with well established careers. Craig David, with more than 13 million CDs sold worldwide, is one of the most successful recording artists to come from Great Britain so far this century.
Alex Ubago, who accompanies himself on the guitar, is from Vitoria, Spain and has sold more than three million CDs. He has won numerous awards in Spain, Latin American and the USA. He will soon release his sixth disc, which was recorded in Argentina. I have not heard if the duet with David will be included on Ubago's CD.
David also recorded new bilingual versions of "Walking Away" with artists such as Lynnsha from France, Nek from Italy, Monrose from Germany, and Bonnie Pink from Japan for his CD's release in their respective countries.
I just got back from a very low-tech, high-energy festival in Barceloneta Park. DÍA FUERA DEL TIEMPO : PAZ ES CULTURA!(Day Out of Time: Peace is Culture) started at 10am this morning, but since today was a work day, I couldn't get there until this evening. It's still going on, but because of tomorrow being a work day, I had to come home. Ahh, but it was a nice interlude from the work week while it lasted. . The event had music, massages, meditation, books, vegetarian food and non-alcoholic beverages. There was no charge for anything, simply a few boxes put out for donations. . When I arrived HIJOS DE LA CALLE (Children of the Street), a "fusion rumba electrohop" group was just finishing up on a stage set up inside the wrought-iron forum on one side of the park. I really didn't hear enough of them to judge, but what I did hear sounded interesting. . Between musical sets, I walked around, said hello to people I knew and was introduced to others, while looking at the items on display at booths around the circle -- books, magazines, candles, incense, fabric, pillows, sign-up sheets for various volunteer opportunities, etc. Then I got something to eat from the food stand and joined the hundreds of people sitting and lying around inside the circle, as the sun went down. . Seated in the crowd were some of the amateur percussionists that gather in the park pretty regularly. They beat their bongos, banged their drums and battered on other things to entertain us while we waited. (As a matter of fact, spontaneous percussion sessions like this are a regular occurrence here and in Ciutadella Park on Sunday evenings. There are usually spinners and jugglers and such along with them.) . Next was a pretty good Spanish rap group named SURIKATOS. (No translation for this one!) The best thing about them was the back-up vocalist, who sang one and a half solos. Her voice was incredible -- reminiscent of Billie Holiday and Erika Badu and Celia Cruz. Unfortunately she is not mentioned on the duo's web site. WHO WAS SHE?!?! . After their performance came DANZA DE LA CORAZÓN ÚNICO. (One Heart Dance.) This started about an hour later than scheduled, like everything else did, but it was worth the wait. Led by North American Roy Little Sun, this Hopi dance around a little bonfire in the middle of the circle was a great community experience and good exercise, as well! . Here is a description of the dance I've adapted from Little Sun's blog that will give you a pretty good idea of what I just experienced: . "1. Dancers circle counter-clock-wise around the pattern while inviting 'all our relations' to be part of the dance and then enter from the East. Continue dancing until there is complete synchronicity. It may take four or up to nine rounds. Then exit from the East and again circle counter-clock-wise to then enter from the South with the same sequence, until all the four directions have been initiated. . 2. The last gate to be opened is that of the North. Upon the exit the dancers circle again counter-clock-wise and realise that the in-out-weaving have created the Union, so that the pattern can unfold to become the Circle of Hearts. . 3. Upon making the full circle the dancers stop circling and together face the Centre. . 4. Upon the sign of the one who leads the dance the Circle moves towards the Centre for all the dancers to bless the Fire, that has been placed at the Centre. Then the dancers move backwards to the circle they had. This routine is done four times. . 5. Having come back the fourth time to the Circle, the drum(s)/music stops and everyone contemplates on the culmination of the dance into the Centre. The duration may last as long as the attained collective consciousness allows it to be. . 6. The dance-leader goes to the Centre... . 7. The ceremony ends with everyone holding hands while together taking three deep breaths, signifying the sharing of the experience with the world. Thank 'all our relations to be part of the dance and until next time'." . The main difference in tonight's version was the rhythmic hand-clapping that the Spaniards couldn't resist adding about midway through. . Reluctantly, I had to tear myself away after the dance, but what a great way to end my time there! Heading out of the crowd, I noticed that little groups of picnickers were spread out along the grass, enjoying the activities in the circle from a distance. . In one small group, a fellow was strumming a little harp for his friends. As I entered Barceloneta, Roy Little Sun's calm voice mingled with the music of the harp in what sounded like a call to another dance. . Goodnight amig@s, . Carloz
Singer-songwriters Joaquín Sabina (Andalusia 1949) and Joan Manuel Serrat (Catalonia 1943) started their Dos Pájaros de un Tiro (Two Birds in One Shot) Tour to a standing-room only crowd in Zaragoza last night. For the next six months the singers, who were icons of the transition to democracy in the 70’s and 80s, will perform more than 60 concerts throughout Spain and Latin America.
Both were exiles during Franco’s rule — Sabina living in London and Serrat in Mexico. Until now Sabina and Serrat were not a duo, but two indivdual stars with their own styles and hits. For the tour they are performing each others songs jointly and individually. The two will reach Madrid in September (three concerts scheduled, two already sold out) and Barcelona in October (two concerts, one already sold out). The final concert of the tour will be in Montevideo, Uruguay on December 20th.
More re Rato: Speculation continues about IMF chief Ricardo Rato’s early resignation and planned return to Spain this autumn. There was talk in the media today of Rato followers making preparations to convince him to return to Spain’s political life as well. El Pais pointed out that Popular Party leader Mariano Rajoy doesn’t have one “Ratista” on his team.
Conservationists applaud decison to halt two housing construction plans in Catalonia: The Planning Commission of Girona Province has rejected a proposal to build 1,000 new homes on 85 hectares in a woooded area situated between the developments of Lloret Blau and Lloret Verd in Lloret de Mar. The Commission also denied permission to construct 370 new homes and a golf course in Garrigoles, where only 155 people currently live. In their campiagn against the golf course, conservationsists crossed out the name of Garrigoles on the sign at the entrance to the town and hung one with “Garrigolf” next to it!
Too many golf courses in Spain as it is - though having said that I guess they bring money into the country and provide jobs for people.
By: Carloz on July 1st, 2007 at 12:35 pm
Yes, too many golf courses — and way too many houses!! As the European Parliament declared recently, the huge construction projects do not respond to real needs of the people of Spain! (See: http://myspainblog.wordpress.com/2007/06/22/in-fridays-news/) What Spain needs more of is sustainable development and efforts to diversify its job market. While I think it’s basically a good thing that Spain has such a great tourism industry, there really needs to be a push to develop jobs in areas other than leisure and tourism.
Unesco declares Teide a World Heritage Site! Today UNESCO declared Spain’s Teide National Park a World Heritage Site. A national park since 1954, Teide covers 19,000 hectares of the Canary Island of Tenerife. It inlcudes the higgest peak in Spain and is known for its biological variety and its spectacular geology, such as volcanic cones and lava flows. At 3,715 meters (12,188.3 feet), Teide is the third largest volcano on Earth. Its last eruption was in 1909.
Spain now has 40 World Heritage Sites, including 35 Cultural Sites (such as the Alhambra, the Altamira Cave and Barcelona’s Palau de la Musica and Hospital de Sant Pau) three Natural Sites (the Doñana national park in Andalucía and the Garajonay park on another of the Canary Islands, La Gomera) and two Mixed Sites (the island of Ibiza and the Pyrenees Mountains).
Also added to the World Heritage Site’s list today were locations in China, Gabon, Iraq, Namibia, Slovakia, South Africa, Switzerland, and Ukraine.
Next on the list? There has been speuclation in the media that Barcelona’s famous stretch of rambling boulevards, collectively known as Las Ramblas, is being considered as a possible nominee to the list of World Heritage Sites.
In addition, El Periodico de Catalunya reported today that the Spanish Government is considering making a proposal that the Mediterranean Diet receive a World Heritage designation from UNESCO. (Natural? Cultural? Mixed? Boiled? Baked? Grilled?)
Pep Bou’s Bubbles are back! Peb Bou, the Catalan performance artist who has made an art form out of blowing bubbles, is back in Barcelona with his latest show, Claire de Lune. He and accompanist Jordi Masó produce a symbiosis of piano and bubbles to the tunes of Debussy, Blancafort, Séverac, Donostia, Fauré, Mompou and Turina. Here’s a link to his site: http://www.pepbou.com/eng/eng.htm
Responses
By: Colin on June 29th, 2007 at 9:48 am The closest I have got to Teide so far is to fly past it on the way to Gran Canaria. I’ll be flying past in December (as usual) for my now annual two/three week break - meet ya there???!
By: Carloz on June 29th, 2007 at 11:27 am
Hmmm, sounds nice! But December is a little too far off for me to plan yet.
EL GREC, Barcelona’s Summer Festival has begun! Last night saw the premiere of the 31st El Grec Festival, Barcelona’s summer performing arts festival, with Sacred Monsters, a dance performance by Sylvie Guillem (France) and Akram Khan (India). According to El Periodico de Catalunya, the duo surprised the public at the Montjuic amphitheater and heated up the festival’s cool first night.
. El Grec is geard toward everyone, including hip-hop fans this year. Popular musical performances (e.g., Barcelona Big Latin Ensemble, Laurie Anderson, Jorge Drexler, Antony and the Johnsons) and family entertainment (Circus Night, the Wizard of Oz), will be held along with classic works, like Shakespeare’s A Winter’s Tale and Goldoni’s La famiglia dell’antiquario. New works like La Fura dels Baus’ Imperium will alternate with innovative dance and theater, like that of Nau Ivanov, La Caldera de Gracia and the Sant Andreu Teatre.
Spain is number 2 and Catalonia number 1! Spain is the world’s 2nd most popular tourist destination, and within Spain, Catalonia is the most popular Autonomous Region. Between January and May of 2007 a total of 5.1 million tourists from other countries visited Catalonia – 25.3% of all foreign tourists who came to Spain according to data presented yesterday by the secretary of Innovation, Universities and Business, Josep Huguet. The most popular areas in Catalonia were Barcelona, followed by the Costa del Maresme, the Costa del Garraf, and the Costa Daurada.
. Number 14 fever: Vendors report that Henry’s number 14 T-Shirt is fast on the road to being the second most popular seller among Barça souvenirs. Watch out Ronaldinho!
A las 20.06: verano (At 8:06pm: summer): ADN2 had a photo of Stonhenge at sunrise on it’s cover, in honor of the summer solstice. I think of photo of a sunrise over the sea would have been more appropriate for Barcelona. At the end of my last class this evening, my student pointed out that we began the lesson in springtime and ended in summer. Hmmm.
Summer solstice celebrations in Barcelona: Barcelona has it’s own unique way to observe the change of season — Sain John’s Night. (La Noche de San Juan in Spanish and La Nit de Sant Joan in Catalan.) And what a night it is - fireworks, night swims, bonfires on the beach, and of course MUSIC! I’ll write more about this special event in another post later.
Luz - a survivor! Spanish singer Luz Casal has officially thanked her fans for their well wishes and support during her treatment for breast cancer. The disease, which was detected in January of this year, forced her to cancel a world tour. Luz’ voice was one of the early ones that lured me to Spanish music. “Piensa en Mi” and “Un Año de Amor” are classics! Here’s a link to the English version of her web site: http://www.luzcasal.es/home_en.html
